Johnny

Boxer, dancer, tech guy...now living free and carefree around the world. I'm not traveling, I'm just going home to a new place.

Torino – quick travel guide

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Medium-large city in northern Italy surrounded by mountains.

A cooler, colder region, closer to the mountains…contrasting the more popular tourist destinations in Italy such as Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, and coastal areas. Torino is a great city. Charming, walkable, greenest in Italy (35% is green). Great food and its own authentic attitude (and language) of the Piedmont region in Italy. Lots of historical architecture and beautiful sights, and squares.

My favorite, it feels much more authentic Italy in that you don’t see so many tourists and hearing English everywhere as you would in other places places in Italy. The vibe is also more casual, hipster, and counter-culture rather than the typical posh vibe that you see in Milan, Rome, Sicily, etc. Feels more chill to me and I love it. I also happen to have family here so I know it well.

1 day is enough to get a sense of Torino. 2 days lets you cover main tourist highlights. Add more days to explore nearby mountain stuff and have more time for big parks and museums. In short, a casual tourist passing through Italy would only need a day in Torino. Nothing here is a “must see” compared to other destinations in Italy.

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Koh Lanta – quick travel guide

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Located off coast of Krabi in southwest Thailand, one of Thailand’s more beautiful islands…equally beautiful as Phuket or Koh Phi Phi but without the tourists. Actually peaceful and remote. Easy to get around, easy to relax, easy to actually enjoy nature.

This island is good if you want quiet, to live on a beach island with cheap accommodation, or scuba diving. But all else, it pails in comparison. Very little to do, food not as good or as authentic as other places. There’s a big divide between local areas and foreigner areas, with very little mixing. All the foreigner have only restaurants that cater to westerners, and the flavor is very watered down. Prices for food and massages are also more expensive…again, because these areas cater only to foreigners.

Take 3 days rest or however long you need to recharge, and move on.

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Croatia – quick travel guide

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Former Yugoslavian (south Slav) country known for its beaches and cheaper price despite being very modern and developed.

Croatia is a famous middle-ground country to me. It’s a popular travel destination for people wanting something developed, safe, modern, and cheaper than the usual beach destinations like Italy, Spain, Greece. It’s also not so far away from Western Europe. And the people there speak great English (seems everyone does).

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Croatia is not the cultural tourist destination to me. Many people come here as a cheap Italy beach alternative. It’s not because they’re so interesting in Croatian culture, terrain, or food. Even though I know many Croatians, I don’t have any image of their personality stereotypes.

1 week would be enough to arrive in capital Zagreb, and then hop off to a coastal destination of your choice, Split or Dubrovnik. And can then hop further on into another Balkan country.

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Bangkok – quick travel guide

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Big city Thailand, many areas, many vibes, restaurants, shops, nightlife, locals and foreigners living in harmony.

Bangkok has many versions to experience. For typical tourist, it’s the noisy old town area. Lots of street food, outdoor restaurants and bars, many tiny commercial establishments all crammed together. Tours and weed shops every 5m. Lots of running around to temples and markets. And it’s funny how many visitors think it’s just a developing country with old buildings and nothing else.

For expats, it’s the modern city life. Modern skyrise apartments with city skyline view. Nice restaurants, nice bars, everything nice and air conditioning, no walking around in sweaty hot swamp weather. You can find everything and anything. So much to appreciate aside from usual historical tourist things.

Most travelers arrive in Bangkok, and stay only 3-4 days to rest before running north to Chiang Mai (elephant/jungle) or south to tropical beach/islands. Bangkok itself is big with so much to do. 4-5 days to feel like you got a proper taste, stay 1-2 weeks to know you could live here for a month, stay a month to know you could be here a year and still not run out of things to do. Bangkok is so much more than just Grand Palace and Khao San Road (crazy party area).

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Krabi – quick travel guide

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Popular southwest coast of Thailand…beautiful beaches, developed commercial areas, nightlife, boat tours…like other Thai destinations, but cleaner air and lower cost. Considered less touristy alternative to Phuket.

Krabi region (with its capital Krabi town), has diverse coastline and numerous islands nearby…with wide range of beach-stay experiences. On the popular of beach of Ao Nang, you get a less-touristy version of Phuket (famous spot) with its vibrant beach city life, well-developed commercial establishments with food, shops, bars, and NIGHTLIFE! But go farther out or cross onto an island and you’ll find a more peaceful remote experience.

With so much nearby, you can choose to stay in places of different vibes. And then at night, travel to another town of a different vibe. During the day…you can stay in and chill in the AC, wander around in town, or do one of the many tours and outdoor activities.

In all honesty, Krabi is just ok. I don’t like it. Even though it’s not as touristy as Phuket and others, it’s still over touristy. Not enough accommodation options to get you everything. You’re stuck between choosing overly noisy party place or inconveniently remote spot. Beaches have long tide schedules so it looks ugly a lot of the day (when water is out). Many tour boats means noise and crowds during the nicest hours. This is if you’re even staying near the beach. Cuz if not, then you ARE the annoying crowd that comes to the beach. So you don’t really get to enjoy the thing you came for. But yes, it’s pretty and you’ll have nice photos and see nice things. But your day is sandwiched between running to crowded place, then running away from crowded place.

3-5 days is general recommendation. You can understand Krabi and do a comprehensive tour in just 2 days. But a couple more days would be nice to enjoy the vibe. Stay longer and you’ll realize it’s impossible to explore all of Krabi.

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Chiang Mai – quick travel guide

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Mountain jungle town in northern Thailand with temples, elephants, and sticky waterfalls.

Anybody visiting Thailand has heard many praises of Chiang Mai. That it’s a MUST SEE. Laidback dirt-road town built in nature, many accommodations with big yards and gardens/greenspaces. Lots of temples (almost every corner). Lots of nature jungle activities…elephant sanctuaries being the most popular but also sticky waterfalls, hiking, rafting, ziplines, visiting the long-neck tribe, farther out palaces/temples, national parks and safaris, and more.

But the real beauty of Chiang Mai is its smooth balance between jungle nature and human city, old culture and new lifestyle, peaceful vibe and lively town-life, low prices but many high-quality food options. It’s a lovely place to entertain or rejuvenate any kind of person.

Timing for Chiang Mai is key. Definitely avoid monsoon season May-Oct (low season) as lots of sudden rain can ruin your dayplans. Aalso recommended to avoid burning season late-Feb to Apr, as the air is extremely polluted. However, I came during burning season in mid-Mar and things seemed fine to me.

You can see the main things (temples and nature, elephants) within 3 days…but to do all the nearby activities could easily stretch out to 10 days. Some people just love the vibe and keep extending. It’s that kind of place. Where you stay for accommodation will also add greatly to your experience.

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Thailand – quick travel guide

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Low-cost Asian country with well-developed tourism spread across vibrant cities, tropical beach paradises, and peaceful nature.

Thailand is well-known nowadays thanks to its tourism being developed since the 1970’s, ahead of many other Asian countries. And it’s no surprise…nice people, amazing food, and plenty of familiar things already known to foreigners…thai food, muay thai boxing, marijuana-friendly, jungles and elephants, tropical beaches and islands, and yes X-rated debauchery and prostitution (yuck*).

Thailand has somehow managed to sustain its high tourism without losing too much of its authentic culture. Many locals speak some degree of English (even older ones). Reliable internet and mobile data throughout, accommodations with western-comfort, easy motorbike rentals or cheap Grab rideshare. All added together to make Thailand fun and adventurous, but also comfortable and easy.

Most people put a month in Thailand because there’s so much to see, but also offers many places to chill and do nothing. You could certainly see 3 or 4 key spots in 2 weeks, but travelers usually spend around 3-5 days for each place. It’s hard to rush your days through vibrant cities, adventure-filled jungles, and picturesque beach islands. So many places are worth staying longer in.

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Marau – quick travel guide

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Lesser known peninsula area of Bahia, characterized by beaches with many rocks and natural pools, surrounded by chill and less developed islands.

The numerous rocks on the beach combined by the long inconvenient route to get here, help very much to keep it a less popular tourist destination. Getting there requires the use of infrequent buses and/or ferry or driving on a terrible rocky road full of potholes (that almost no taxi driver wants to do). The rocks on the beach are the sharp jagged kind that hurt your feet. Pretty to look at, can wander inside the natural pools or explore sealife at low tide, also fun for children and family activities, but may be less desirable for those wanting a clear beach which just sand and ocean.

All areas of the peninsula (except for one) are very quiet and very few open business establishments (let alone nightlife) after a certain hour. Overall, it’s a nice place for perhaps couples or families. Young crowds or or solo travelers looking for nightlife and something more social may easily get bored or feel too disconnected from everybody else here.

I recommend a 5-day minimum for Marau. Especially considering how much of a hassle it is to get to. Spend 3 days in Barra Grande and 2 days in Taipu de Fora. You could also switch that around if you’re some who wants more remote vibes and quiet.

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Paraty – quick travel guide

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Small charmy colonial town, many cute shops and restaurants, with beautiful beaches and islands nearby.

Paraty is a nicely balanced destination. The town itself is small but its unique quality is the historical center (old town cobbled road) full of nice restaurants, bars, and shops. Relaxed vibe but people do dress up, so it’s not like a beach-bum town. The beaches by the town are not swimmable but within 15min-1hr drive you have many amazing beaches, waterfalls, rivers, parks, etc to do whatever nature activity you wish. You’ll usually spend the day driving around to beach and nature stuff, then come back home to the historical center at night.

The accommodations are not expensive. And there are all kinds of nature and animals in the area. You can see the little sagui monkeys running about your accommodation. With extra time in your day, you can drive just 35mins to reach Trindade (another nice tourist destination with its own vibe).

3 days gets you a sense of the area, 1 week would be more appropriate to have chill days exploring both the town and all the water activities and nature nearby. If you had to stay a month, you still wouldn’t be bored…there are many things to do and see.

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Ubatuba – quick travel guide

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Small beach city with commercialized infrastructure…rains often, gets crazy crowded sometimes, mostly family-oriented beaches but also a few nice chill beaches as well.

Although I had a great time going early Jan 2025, I recommend you absolutely avoid during high season because you’ll have both crappy weather (lots of rain) and too much overcrowding. Car traffic all day long making exploring other beaches by car impossible, and lots of people on the beaches. Go during low season and it’ll feel like a more magical quieter beach town.

3 days is enough. Not practical to stay longer because of inconvenience…not as walkable compared to other beach towns. Many areas are far from each other, and beaches are not that nice.

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Gori – quick travel guide

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Small city 1hr drive west of Tbilisi, with historical sights.

Georgia’s 5th populous city, but still only 50,000 population. This town is not particularly interesting whatsoever. People usually come here as part of the tour to see the Gori Fortress, Stalin Museum, and Uplistsikhe ancient cave city. I would recommend only the Stalin Museum and cave city. Gori Fortress only if you got extra time.

3-4 hours, or half day, should cover all of those. Or a day tour if you’re coming from Tbilisi.

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Boipeba – quick travel guide

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Small beautiful beach island with a peaceful nature vibe (even during high season).

The main reason for going here is because you want something chill, peace and quiet. It’s the exact contrast to Morro de Sao Paulo, the larger much more popular island just north next door to Boipeba. Morro is known for being a massively popular touristic town with lots of restaurants, bars, nightlife, AND NOISE!

Boipeba is the opposite. Lots of nature! As enticing as it sounds…it doesn’t mean perfect for you. The “nature” I speak of means much less infrastructure. The only roads accessible by car are the very city center. And the rest of the island is reachable by ATV (“quadriciclo”) or tractor (yes, a farm tractor pulls a long wagon with many bench seats…treated like a bus on sand) or boat. Making getting around slightly less convenient. You can’t just walk to all the beautiful beaches the way you can on Morro de Sao Paulo.

Food options are much less abundant. I was disappointed in the food, actually. There are some great restaurants, like maybe 3-5 tops. At Morro de Sao Paulo, felt like I had great food every night and still had 30 more restaurants to try. Nightlife is almost non-existent. And I kind of liked it. The center square of Boipeba is very quiet, very low-level music if any. It’s not a dueling set of bars vying to see who was loudest. It’s also true that while Morro de Sao Paulo is for everybody, but most popular with young sexy party people…Boipeba is more for couples, older folks, locals trying to save money, or families. Boipeba is cheaper in general.

As with most Brazilian beach vacation towns, most people stay 5-7 days. But you can see everything within 3 days.

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Toronto – quick travel guide

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A nice urban sprawl city in Canada, somewhat like New York’s little brother.

This is Canada’s #1 most expensive city on the east coast, #2 in the nation behind Vancouver. Toronto is urban, dense, vibrant, hip, full of places to go, things to do, and also conveniently located near other major destinations in America and Canada.

In terms of tourism, I think it’s ok. I prefer it more as a nice place to live. You could certainly get a solid feel within 3-5 days.

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TOP eyeglasses brands review

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https://www.izipizi.com/

Nice designs at reasonable prices.

They look nice (many interesting styles, both classic & uncommon) and at a good price. Depending which country you’re shipping to, the price can be cheaper. 🙂

Homepage

Super cool avant garde designs…highly trendy stuff.

SunGod

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Messy Weekend

Okkia

Lyon – quick travel guide

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France’s gastronomic capital, vibrant mix of metropolitan and hipster vibes. Lots of small dense streets, leading up to hills with skyline views across 2 rivers.

Lyon is somewhat the French equivalent of Lisbon. Very hilly with lots of narrow streets. Restaurants with outdoor seating on the sloped sidewalks. No matter where you are, you’re just a block away from a little neighborhood park with views overlooking the city.

I especially like that Lyon can be both posh or chill as you like. And at any given moment, you can escape the city chaos by turning the nearest corner into a quieter area. Rather than being stuck in a dense city center and having to walk 25 mins out to escape the chaos.

You could definitely run through everything within 2 days, but it’s so worth staying longer.

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Barcelona – quick travel guide

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Spain’s most popular tourist city, with beaches, nightlife, interesting Moorish architecture & Gaudi buildings, vibrant city life.

Barcelona is like the big city version of a small city. Everything is walkable and vibey. Shops, bars, restaurants, on every corner. Seems like ever neighborhood can be cool if you know where to look. Having Spanish as the main language is super easy as well for the many people who already speak or have familiarity with Spanish. With its Catalan culture, language, architecture, lifestyle and identity…Barcelona is identified by the locals as being in Catalonia.

3-5 days is the solid minimum. But you’ll easily fill a week without boredom.

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Hong Kong – quick travel guide

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SAR…vibrant crowded hilly city spread across many islands, with amazing fusion food influenced by both west and east culture. (Arguably world’s best foodie destination.)

First thing to know is Hong Kong is NOT mainland China…and for HK people, Hong Kong is NOT China! Get that into your head when talking to the locals. They are NOT Chinese, they are HongKongers or Hong Kongese. Different language, different history, different culture. As a tourist, you’ll find English is widely spoken in HK (much like Taiwan) and even at fluent level. You can almost stop and talk to anyone in the street.

Appearance-wise, Hong Kong really looks like a Chinese version of London, New York, and San Francisco all mixed together.

  • British red phone booths (like London)
  • Hilly city (like SF)
  • Dense city with many skyscrapers (like NY)
  • Double-decker trams similar to both London double-decker buses and SF historic tram
  • Hong Kong was occupied by the British for 150 years, in case you didn’t know.

Yes, I think HK is the best foodie city in the world. I said it and I meant it with every ounce of my heart. This is due to the multicultural influence, and high standard for food, AND expectation. No doubt about it, Asians know how to eat and prepare food to a wider range of flavors than anybody else. Other countries might have good food but only when you pay a lot of money, or find the right restaurants, or they’re only good in a few dishes. But here…seems like tons of amazing restaurants are packed in every corner.

Known for tall beautiful city skyline (both day & night)

You could see the main tourist things and get a sense of Hong Kong within 3 days. But the city is really a nice enough vibe to sit out here for a week, a month, or a year. Don’t forget that Hong Kong Island is not the only place to see.

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